The use of amine oxide detergent surfactants in cleaning compositions is well known. Amine oxides are most commonly used as cosurfactants to boost and maintain suds formation in laundry, shampoo, and dishwashing detergent compositions. Amine oxides have occasionally been used in hard surface cleaners such as acidic toilet bowl cleaners (pH of 2 or less), dishwashing liquids containing occlusive emollients (pH of 4 to 6.9), and selected non-acidic (neutral to alkaline) hard surface cleaners. In non-acidic hard surface cleaners, amine oxide detergent surfactants are essentially non-ionic (pK.sub.a between about 4 and about 6). These nonionic amine oxides provide good cleaning properties and leave little or no visible residue on hard surfaces when they dry.
It was discovered, however, that non-acidic hard surface cleaners containing amine oxides will stain or discolor vinyl (polyvinyl chloride) surfaces. The staining amounts to a light yellow to dark brown discoloration of the vinyl. Staining will also occur on waxed vinyl surfaces where areas of wax are wor thin or are chipped away so that the amine oxide can come in direct contact with the vinyl.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hard surface cleaning composition containing amine oxide detergent surfactants that will cause minimal or no vinyl staining. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a composition which will also have superior cleaning properties and will not leave a visible residue on cleaned surfaces. It is also an object of this invention to provide a process for cleaning vinyl surfaces using such a composition.